Articles Review: Founts of Western Civilization
The author of the article, “Founts of Western Civilization,” argues that history is a broad field of study which began many years ago. During those ancient times, urban civilization was presumed to be found in Egypt, Babylon and India with the advancement of the manufacturing sector. Later, the classical age Greeks and the Biblical Hebrews introduced western civilization in the 5th Century. The author explains that it was during this era that the greatest aesthetic and intellectual activities emerged while Israelites’ religion marked its best performance in the region. According to the author, there is a close relationship between economics and Israel’s religious believes. Particularly, in the Biblical economic thought, the author outlines aspects of good life as confirmed from the Bible verses. One of the Bible verses states that it is not right for an employer to overwork or deny his servant’s wage after the hours of work. In addition, religious leaders discouraged slavery which was common in ancient Greece. Therefore, the information provided by this article is still valid hence applicable in the modern economies governance.
The article “From Aristotle to the Fathers of the Church,” narrates that men behavior can be influenced by power of persuasion, proper environment and suitable institutions. As a result, economic crisis such as material scarcity declines thus increasing the productivity level. In an attempt to solve the economic problem, greater emphasis is put on moral development than on economic segmentation. Ancient Greek fathers of the church questioned private property ownership as well as sources of wealth. They believed that wealth meant for communal sharing had to be acquired in a righteous manner. According to the fathers, God’s economy is characterized by common goods that are shared evenly among individuals. Consequently, it is true to conclude that authorities also obey God’s command by prohibiting evil acts such as theft, corruption and laziness in the society.
Focusing on the third article “The Christian Case for Progressive Taxation” it is evident that moral and religious doctrines have been adopted in the justification of economic views that violate human rights. The Bible story of the rich man and the poor lady offering their gifts in the synagogue relates to the marginal utility concept which states that equal amount of money or good can be of more or less importance as compared to another amount possessed. Therefore, a small share of taxes acquired from an individual can have a greater input to the economy than a bigger amount acquired from others.
The Christianity emphasis on love formed an ethical basis on which western culture and evolution emerged. Love, according to Christians defines how people relate with God and fellow human beings. The principle of love is reflected in both Old and New testaments books in the Bible. Drawing from this reflection, it is clear that there is a close relationship between economics and modern Christianity as summarized in the article ‘Reflections on the Christian Contribution to Economics.”
Work Cited
Chodorow, Adam S. “Biblical Tax Systems and the Case for Progressive Taxation.” Journal of Law and Religion, vol. 23, no. 1, 2007, pp. 51–96., doi:10.1017/S0748081400002605.
Henley A. Economics and Virtue Ethics: Reflections from a Christian Perspective. In: Kidwell J., Doherty S. (eds) Theology and Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. Print.
Spiegel, Henry W. The Growth of Economic Thought. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991. Print.
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